The investment, which was announced by the Chancellor during Wednesday’s Comprehensive Spending Review, will be used by the Football Foundation to target communities up and down the country who will benefit most from access to better sports facilities.
These regions reflect the priority areas set out by the Government in its ‘Levelling Up Agenda’ – 70 percent of Football Foundation funding will be going to category 1 and 2 areas identified by the Government across England.
This new funding will provide welcome support to the grassroots football community as the nation begins to build back from Covid-19.
Many of these improved grassroots facilities, whilst rooted in football, will host a range of other community sports, including rugby and cricket.
The Football Foundation is the UK’s largest sports charity and exists to deliver outstanding grassroots football facilities, which means better games and more players – helping transform communities where demand is greatest and impact will be strongest. Since it was formed 21 years ago, the Foundation and its partners have unlocked £1.8bn of investment in grassroots football.
Football Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Robert Sullivan, said: “This investment is welcome news for all those involved in grassroots football across the country. We know that playing on good quality facilities helps people get fitter, improves mental wellbeing, grows confidence and builds stronger relationships. This is all essential for individuals and communities as we emerge out of the Covid-19 crisis.
“With the government, Premier League and The FA’s investment, we have made plenty of progress in the last two decades, but there is still lots of work to do to ensure all communities across England get the standard of local sports facilities they need and deserve. This new funding will unlock the power of even more pitches to help transform people’s lives.”
Mark Bullingham, Chief Executive of The FA, added: “This investment into grassroots football pitches and multi-sport facilities is fantastic news for communities throughout the country. It will help the nation get active as we emerge from the impact of Covid.
“This is an important part of the Government’s £550m commitment to transform our grassroots football infrastructure, which will have a massive social and economic impact.”
